This invention relates to an apparatus for supporting fiber bales while the fiber bale opening (plucking) process is in progress. The opening is effected by an opening device which may include a plurality of toothed discs executing consecutive passes above the bales and removing fiber quantities from the top thereof. The support apparatus includes a support element which engages a vertical bale face oriented perpendicularly to the direction of travel (working direction) of the opening device. Such vertical bale face will be referred to as "end face". The support element gradually advances downwardly as the bale opening process is in progress (and thus the height of the bales decreases).
Certain types of fiber bales expand upwardly to a substantial extent as the bale straps are removed so that the risks are high that such unrestrained bales may topple after positioning them (for example, on the floor by a fork lift) for the opening operation. This applies particularly to the first and last bale of a bale row formed of serially arranged bales. During the bale plucking (opening) process, as the opening apparatus makes its passes over the bales, even a slight pressure on the upper surfaces of the bales or a lateral pressure effected during the opening process, may cause a fiber bale to topple, particularly if such a bale was initially unstable. Further, the fiber bales have the tendency to slightly deflect away under the required operational pressure during the opening process, resulting in a reduction of the output. In a known bale supporting apparatus, support elements are provided which are mounted on a carrier structure arranged in the working direction, that is, in the direction of the end faces of the fiber bales. Such an apparatus cannot find a satisfactory application in case of a fiber bale series where between the individual fiber bale groups intermediate spaces are provided, because in such a case the opening apparatus would collide with the carrier structure.